


Discord

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: The Zine Collection [5]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Discord - Freeform, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, M/M, Memories, Missions Gone Wrong, Talon! Zenyatta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-22 20:12:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16604723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Captured by Talon, Hanzo finds himself under the strangely tender care of an Omnic monk and confronted by the fact that he has sown more discord than he had ever realised.





	Discord

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Zanzo Zine, in collaboration with Noodl so please check out her amazing art: http://noodl.tumblr.com/post/169809233625/there-is-discord-in-your-soul-hanzo

    Hanzo slowly clawed his way back to consciousness, urged onwards by the sensation of the Dragons stirring uneasily under his skin, their feelings bleeding into his own as bits and pieces of the world came into focus around him. There was the smell of damp tickling his nose, and when he shifted slightly, he realised that he was laid out on a narrow, hard bed and that he was restrained. Fear flooded him as he found himself unable to move his wrists and ankles more than an inch or two, feeling metal biting into his skin and wincing. _Where am I?_ His eyes still weren’t responding to his commands to open, his thoughts sluggishly catching up with the situation as he tugged fruitlessly on the restraints. His last clear memory was of Genji’s frantic voice over the communicator as the roof beneath his feet had given away after Talon had finally locked onto his position, and then he had been falling and now…

    He blinked, his eyes finally obeying him, and the world appeared in a blur smudged colours, his breathing speeding up as he realised that wherever he was, he wasn’t alone. He had missed it at first, caught up in his fear and the need to get free, but now that he had stilled he could make out the faintest swish of material and a soft whirring that called to mind Genji’s cybernetics. For a half a moment he dared to hope that he was safe, that the fear was all in his head, but as he blinked again he found that hope dying as quickly as it had formed. He didn’t recognise the concrete ceiling that was uncomfortably low, giving the impression of the room closing in on him, but that was the least of his worries as a figure moved into his line of sight.

    It wasn’t Genji. It wasn’t even human he realised, meeting its glimmering optics as it moved closer, gliding through the air towards him and he shrank back, only to realise his mistake when the movement ignited pain in every inch of his body and caught by surprise he was unable to mask his agony or the whimper that slipped free. At once there were cool fingers biting into his shoulders, holding him in place even though he couldn’t have gone far and instinctively he began to struggle despite the pain it caused him.

“Cease.” The Omnic didn’t raise its voice, nor did its grip tighten, but there was something in the quiet command that cut straight through Hanzo’s pain and fear, making his freeze mid-movement, staring wide-eyed into his captor’s face. There was no way to tell what the Omnic was thinking, but there was something almost gentle in the way that it squeezed Hanzo’s shoulders before releasing him, surprisingly delicate hands moving in a smooth motion above him and Hanzo tensed again, bracing himself for more pain. Instead, warmth seemed to seep through his aching body, and he blinked, startled as he felt some of the pain already beginning to abate, daring to lift his head just enough to look down at himself, watching numbly as several scrapes on his exposed chest healed in front of his eyes.

“Why are you healing me?” The question had slipped out before he could stop it, and he flinched when the Omnic met his gaze once more.

“Because I can.” It wasn’t the answer he had been looking for, and he must’ve made a frustrated noise, because the Omnic hummed, the noise unsettlingly close to warm chuckle as it turned its attention back to a deeper gash on his arm, finger lightly tracing the wound, pressing just enough to draw a wince from Hanzo. “Talon can always make you bleed again if it pleases them.” Hanzo grimaced, wondering if that had been an attempt at being comforting. If it was, it had fallen short, fear and uncertainty making his stomach twist itself in knots as he glanced away, the reality of the situation pressing in on him as the Omnic’s words confirmed his fears. He was a prisoner of Talon…

     The next few minutes passed in silence apart from the quiet whirring of the Omnic’s processors as it worked, and the ragged sound of Hanzo’s breathing as he fought to get his fear under control. Eventually, he had to give in to his curiosity though, tilting his head just enough to study the Omnic out of the corner of his eye. It seemed perfectly at ease, as though it wasn’t working on a restrained prisoner and he frowned, letting his eyes wander lowering, breath hitching for a moment as he realised that it wasn’t standing as he had assumed earlier, but hovering, perfectly balanced in the air beside him. It was an ability he had only ever encountered in one type of Omnics, and now that he looked he could see similarities in its clothes, just enough to make him venture a question.

“You’re one of the Shambali…?”

“I was,” the Omnic confirmed with a hum, not glancing away from its work. “Once.”

“Then why…?.”

“Why am I here?”

“Why are you working for Talon?” Hanzo knew little of the Shambali, and what little he did know was because of his brother. Genji having shared tales of his times with the monks and of the one that had helped him heal all those years ago. His brother had been despondent for a while when he returned from Nepal with the news that the Omnic he had gone to recruit had left the order some months before, and that no one knew where he had gone.

“Talon seeks discord,” the Omnic replied, finally lifting its head to meet Hanzo’s gaze again. _Discord,_ Hanzo wanted to scoff at its words, because he knew what Talon wanted and it was more than mere discord, but before he could say anything, the Omnic had continued. “Life is a careful balance of discord and tranquillity, to understand life to its fullest it is necessary to experience both sides, and the Shambali do not allow for that.”

_He taught me to embrace the discord in my soul…._

“Zenyatta…” Hanzo whispered, and for the first time, the Omnic seemed to tense, a dangerous light in its optics as it focused on his face and he swallowed thickly before continuing. “That is your name, isn’t it? Tekharta Zenyatta…”

     There was a moment where they just stared at one another, and then the Omnic was laughing, the warmth disappearing from Hanzo’s body as it doubled over, arm wrapped around its midriff, the action so human that Hanzo felt a strange pang at the sight. It was several minutes before the Omnic got itself under control, lifting its head to stare at him, and this time there was no mistaking the amused glint in its gaze as it studied him. “I wondered if you would work it out, Hanzo Shimada.” Hanzo’s mouth went dry at the confirmation of his suspicions. This Omnic knew him, knew his brother…knew what he’d done…and he worked for Talon.

    There was guilt as there always was when he thought about his brother, but it was overwhelmed by the fear that surged up in its wake. Talon hadn’t abandoned their efforts to recruit him despite his best efforts to discourage them, but their approaches had been easy to rebuff. However, there was something about Zenyatta, something about the easy way he had commanded him earlier and the gentleness that he had shown Hanzo that scared the archer more than the threat of harm, and he recoiled, yanking against his restraints, breathing hard once more. “Humans are such fascinating creatures,” Zenyatta seemed unfazed by his attempts to escape, reaching out and tilting Hanzo’s face towards him with a single finger, optics seeming brighter than ever and Hanzo found himself unable to look away. “You feel so much, and every action you take is dictated by those feelings.”

“I-I…” He wanted to vehemently deny Zenyatta’s words, but the words wouldn’t come, not under the knowing gaze and the gentle touch on his chin, and he had to look away, although he couldn’t bring himself to pull back.

“Fascinating.” It didn’t sound like it was mocking him, rather like it was genuinely intrigued and Hanzo couldn’t stop his gaze from flicking back to it. “You know…” It trailed off, moving so that its fingers were resting against Hanzo’s cheek, stopping him from looking away with the near caress. “It was you who started me down this path.”

“But…”

“You sowed such discord in your brother’s soul,” Zenyatta continued blithely, as though unaware that his words were tearing apart his audience, Hanzo rigid against the gentle touch, unable to look away, barely able to breathe. “He was so angry, always vacillating between hate and love, both for himself and for you, never able to rid himself of either emotion although he tried.” Hanzo swallowed thickly, heart aching at the Omnic’s words. He already knew all this, Genji had reluctantly told him about those years when he had pushed, but somehow it was worse hearing it like this, and finally he tried to pull back, only to find himself held in place, Zenyatta countering the move by gripping his chin firmly, optics glittering as their gazes met. “You weren’t even there, and yet…”

    This time it was definitely a caress, the cool fingers gliding over Hanzo’s chin and up his cheek and to his dismay the archer found himself leaning into the touch, only just managing to swallow back a soft noise as Zenyatta hummed approvingly at him. “You weren’t there, we had never met, and yet you intrigued me, Hanzo. It was hearing about you, what you had done and seeing the results…the discord you had sowed…that awoke within me a need to seek out true discord, to want more than what they could teach me in the monastery. You made me long for the power to stir people so deeply, to invoke such a dichotomy of emotion.”

   Hanzo closed his eyes, feeling them beginning to burn, the words wiggling their way under his skin and wrapping themselves around him. _I did this…?_ He remembered how Genji’s eyes had lit up when he had spoken of his ‘Master’, of the monk that had helped him pull himself together, to move past what Hanzo had done to him and what he had been forced to become just to survive. He remembered the quietness, the sullenness when Genji had returned empty-handed from Nepal, had caught him with Athena countless times, searching for Zenyatta, always brushing off his awkward offers to help. _It is something I must do myself, brother. This is my search. Mine._

“I’m sorry…” The words crept out, and he wasn’t sure whether he was apologising to Genji or Zenyatta, perhaps to both, trembling as felt the Omnic’s fingers curl against his cheek.

“Why?” Zenyatta sounded so genuinely confused that Hanzo had to look at him, the Omnic meeting his gaze without hesitation. “This is the path I chose, you merely showed me its existence.” _But…_ Hanzo wanted to protest, but the words wouldn’t come and Zenyatta it seemed wasn’t finished. “Talon have shown me sights that I’d never thought I would see, a world of human emotion, a world of discord. But it wasn’t enough, and then I saw you.” Zenyatta’s optics were almost unbearably bright at this point, as though his emotions had risen to such a height that they were spilling out and despite the growing urge to pull back, to flee, Hanzo was unable to look away, almost entranced by the sight. “You were different from the picture he had of you, but the similarities were enough, and he was there, fighting by your side, trusting you to protect him once more.”

“You saw…” _Then why didn’t you go to him?_ Hanzo wanted to demand, but the words died on the tip of his tongue as Zenyatta’s fingers moved across his face, ghosting over his features, as though it was the first time he had seen him and he stilled.

“I saw,” Zenyatta confirmed calmly, fingers lightly brushing Hanzo’s skin now, sending a shiver through the archer as he fought the urge to lean in again. “I watched, wanting to see if you were what I had imagined when Genji spoke of you, or if you had found peace.” Hanzo didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to know the answer, and yet the question slipped out against his wishes, a whisper of sound that hung heavy and expectant between them.

“And?

“There was no peace in you,” Zenyatta didn’t sound disappointed, or pitying, instead there the thrum of something else in his voice. Anticipation perhaps, his movements pausing, fingers cradling both of Hanzo’s cheeks. “When I look at you all I see is such beautiful, tragic discord…” He sounded almost reverent as he stroked his fingers against Hanzo’s cheeks, and Hanzo feels his breath catching, tears falling unbidden down his cheeks, only to be brushed away with a tenderness he didn’t deserve.

“Don’t…” _Don’t help me. Don’t pity me. Don’t look at me like that,_ he’s not sure what he’s protesting, all he knows is that he doesn’t deserve it, not after what he has done. To Genji. To Zenyatta…and he tried to pull back, only to find Zenyatta refusing to let him, and there is a new sternness to the Omnic’s voice when he interrupts him.

“Discord is part of you Hanzo.” _No,_ the denial is weak even in his own mind, the shake of his head weaker still as he glances away, the only escape he has right now.  “Embrace it.” It’s a command, just like earlier and Hanzo can feel the same urge to surrender, to obey, a small part of him wondering if doing so would ease the ache in his chest, the weight on his shoulders that he can never seem to escape. _Discord is part of you,_ the words are wrapped around him, tangling around his limbs, leaving him helpless to escape, and part of him doesn’t want to.

_HANZO! STOP!  There are fingers wrapped around his wrist, frantically trying to break his hold on the hilt of his katana and when he looks up, he’s met with wide, frightened eyes. For a second he hesitates, feeling a pang, remembering all the times he had promised Genji that he would protect him. That they would always be brothers. It’s not enough. Not with the weight of the Clan’s expectations on his shoulders, or the unpleasant burn of jealousy at the freedom his brother has enjoyed until now and his hand is steady as he shakes Genji off. He will end this. He will do his duty. He will sever the bond._

“No…”  Hanzo whispered, shuddering. It had been a long time since he had allowed himself to think of that night, to remember it so vividly, and he feels sick as he recalls for a second the feeling of being free that had engulfed him when he had struck the final blow. There had been a split second of peace, of feeling as though he had become what he was meant to be. And then reality had hit, and the burden of what he had done had settled over him. “I can’t…” _I want to,_ a traitorous part of him whispered, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

“Your eyes are telling me a different story,” Zenyatta seems unsurprised at his response, and he wonders just how much his expression had given away, flinching as gentle fingers dance over his eyelids, the Omnic humming to himself. “I wonder which will win in the end…”

   The gentle touch disappeared, the warmth disappearing and Hanzo’s eyes shoot open as he realised that Zenyatta was moving away, dismayed by the soft noise of protest that escaped. Zenyatta paused, glancing back at him in amusement and Hanzo wanted to curl up and hide from his gaze, but he can’t bring himself to move, can’t bring himself to look away, rigid as the Omnic seems to take pity and glides back to him. There’s a fleeting touch against his cheek, and this time Hanzo can’t fight the urge to lean into it. “You’ve been trying to look for peace…” Zenyatta whispers in his ear before his fingers disappear once more, leaving Hanzo bereft and fighting back a low whine, chuckling as though he knows exactly what the archer is thinking, and perhaps he does because the look he grants Hanzo is knowing, too knowing. “Perhaps you have been looking for the wrong thing, or searching in the wrong place.”

   It’s not really a question. Hanzo doesn’t have the strength to refute him anymore, and he isn’t even sure that he wants to. _Discord is part of you. Embrace it,_ the words linger, and he has a feeling that he won’t be free of them until he faces the truth. He can’t though, not yet, but it doesn’t stop him from reaching out blindly, fingers closing on empty air as Zenyatta moves out of range, this time heading towards the door of his cell without hesitation, only to pause and glance back at him, a challenge clear in his words.

“Think on it until I return, Hanzo.” It’s an order and Hanzo bows his head, trying to tell himself it’s because there is nothing else for him to do until he finds a way out of here. However, as the door closes behind Zenyatta, leaving him with nothing but his own thoughts and the Omnic’s words, he admits deep down that he already knows what his answer will be and it terrifies him.


End file.
